SA launches ship ID system - Mandatory for newbuilds from July 2002

AN SA produced AIS (automatic identification system) for ships is likely to take the world market by storm, according to Keith Burchell, director of Transnet subsidiary, Marine Data Systems (MDS), which has just launched the AIMS MIII marine navigation and information system.
By means of a very high frequency (VHF) radio transponder transmission, the system broadcasts precise ship identification and position information - to be picked up on landside or other shipsÕ receiving equipment.
ÒThis technology,Ó Burchell told FTW, Òallows for automatic ship reporting in a most reliable and cost-effective way.Ó
And - along with its Swedish-made equivalent - it has created the technology standard for the international approval processes used by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO); the Inter national Telecommunications Union (ITU); and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
The primary aim of AIS, said Burchell, is to increase safety of shipping and life at sea.
ÒThe IMO,Ó he added, Òhas included the requirement for this technology within its revised Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) for mandatory carriage by all vessels over 300 gross tons, starting in 2002.Ó
Effectively, the ruling demands that all newbuild vessels must be fitted with an AIS unit from July, 2002. And all other vessels - in various phases - up to a completion date of 2007.
ThatÕs a final total of 46 000 vessels, Burchell estimates, and MDS is looking for 35%-45% of that market.
The company has successfully completed tests with its prototype AIMS MIII system at a number of locations around the world. MDS is already a major supplier of AIS products and services to the international maritime market.